


Too Late

by katling



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Bull is tricky, M/M, Misunderstanding, Modern AU, and freakishly observant, but there's sex now, he's also a good bro, mentions of withdrawal, no happy ending, not for Cullen anyway, people not communicating, still a little angsty, there will be some requiting soon, unrequited pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:59:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8827822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katling/pseuds/katling
Summary: This came from a prompt over on my tumblr. The prompt was: falling in love with your best friend’s partner au. This is set in a modern AU.
Cullen has known Maxwell Trevelyan for years. He's known Dorian Pavus for a lot less time but he's in love with him. But when he takes too long to acknowledge that, Dorian finds love with Maxwell and Cullen finds out how painful it is to watch them. In steps Bull to offer something to Cullen, which he may or may not accept.





	1. Chapter 1

Cullen had known Maxwell Trevelyan for years. They’d met briefly when they’d both been in the Templars but they’d been assigned to different posts and while they’d kept in sporadic contact, Cullen’s path through the Templar Special Forces had taken him to some very dark and unpleasant places and he’d ended up burning a lot of bridges along the way. He’d though Max was one of those until he’d run into the man completely by chance after he’d been discharged from both the hospital and the Templars.

It had been Maxwell who’d offered him a job in his new venture, Inquisition Incorporated, and Maxwell who helped him find an apartment and Maxwell who had patiently answered his phone calls at ungodly hours of the night when the withdrawal from lyrium had become unbearable.

After all of that, he couldn’t begrudge Maxwell falling in love with the man Cullen himself had discovered he had feelings for. Dorian Pavus had been recruited for Inquisition Incorporated by Maxwell, much like Cullen had. He was a mage from Tevinter and deeply involved in some kind of esoteric research that few understood from the gossip around the corridors. 

Dorian had flirted with everyone from the moment he set foot in the building and Cullen had blushed and been drawn into chess games that he enjoyed immensely, even if Dorian did cheat outrageously. But he hadn’t really known how to respond to the flirting and by the time he had figured it out, Max and Dorian were together.

Cullen had withdrawn into his office and his home for a week, declining any and all invitations, even cancelling his and Dorian’s chess game. He’d let himself wallow in self-pity and worked to armour his heart against what he was going to see then he’d ventured forth again. Almost immediately he was glad he’d taken the time to muster his defences because Max and Dorian were obviously, openly, _deliriously_ in love.

And he was happy for them. He truly was. Maker knows they both deserved happiness and love from what he knew of their respective backgrounds. He wished them only the best. He really did. But he couldn’t deny that it hurt. It hurt to listen to Dorian rhapsodising melodic about whatever ridiculously romantic thing Max had done this week. It hurt to watch them billing and cooing every Friday night after work at drinks. He began leaving earlier and earlier on a Friday. He knew that some of the others had noticed, he knew that some of them were worried about him, though he hoped they didn’t suspect what his problem was.

That was a hope that died a painful death one Friday evening when Bull sat down beside him. He could never quite remember what Bull’s name actually was. The huge man liked being called the Iron Bull and Maxwell had a policy of people being called what they wanted to be called so Bull it was.

“Look good together, don’t they?” Bull said, idly gesturing towards where Max and Dorian were making doe eyes at each other.

Cullen flinched and he knew Bull had noticed it. The man was incredibly observant.

“Yes,” he managed in a slightly strangled tone before taking a long drink of his beer.

Bull clapped him on the shoulder and when Cullen looked over at him, he could see the sympathy and understanding in the man’s eyes.

“Come on, Commander.” Cullen rolled his eyes at the title Bull insisted on giving him but he did it fondly enough. Bull wasn’t trying to be cruel, just acknowledging Cullen’s skill as a leader. “I know a place that does the best damn burger you’ll ever eat and after that? Well, we can see how you feel.”

Cullen saw the look in Bull’s eyes and he knew without needing another word being said what was on offer. Companionship of his choosing, as little or as much as he wanted. He considered it as he sipped at his beer. A glance at Dorian and Max and seeing them kiss made up his mind. He drained the last of his beer and set the glass down.

“Let’s go,” he said decisively as he got to his feet.

Bull laughed and clapped him on the shoulder and they headed out the door. Neither of them saw two sets of grey eyes watching them go.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a couple of requests to do a follow-up to this one and here it is.
> 
> This is also the chapter that prompted the rise in rating. :D
> 
> After leaving the work drinks, Bull and Cullen go for a hamburger and then a little bit more.

“So? Was I right?”

Cullen looked over at Bull and smiled ruefully. “You were.”

In front of him lay the demolished remains of what Cullen had to admit was indeed the best damn burger he’d ever eaten. Bull had devoured two with great relish while he’d been eating his and they’d been so good, there hadn’t been much talking until now. He wasn’t really looking forward to when the talking was going to start.

“I’ll tell Krem you said so,” Bull said expansively as he settled back against the booth seat. “He thinks I’m a philistine to like the burgers here.”

Cullen looked surprised. “He doesn’t like them?”

“He’s more of a pizza kind of guy.”

Cullen nodded and waited for the questions he was sure were going to come. Once again, he was surprised.

“How come you get so damn twitchy whenever I call you Commander?”

Cullen frowned. “I don’t get twitchy.” He paused then continued less confidently, “Do I?"

“Well, maybe twitchy wasn’t the best word,” Bull conceded. “But you react in some way every time.”

Cullen sighed and looked down at the remains of his meal. “It just… brings back memories and not all of them are good.”

“Want me to stop?”

Cullen looked up and saw that Bull was completely sincere with the question. If Cullen wanted him to stop, he would, no questions asked. It made him actually stop and think about whether he actually did want Bull to stop.

“No,” he said slowly. “No, it’s okay. Not all the memories are bad after all.”

“Okay,” Bull said equably. He then raised an eyebrow. “So, wanna hit up this bar I know? There’s a hell of a good band playing there tonight and I’m not just saying that because I know them.” He grinned and winked at Cullen. “Or we could head back to my place?”

“For?” Cullen asked.

Bull shrugged. “Whatever you want. A drink and to watch a movie where lots of things explode. Or anything else you might like.”

Cullen pondered that for a moment. “Why?”

“Because it’ll be fun and you look like you could do with some fun,” Bull said with another shrug. “There’s no expectations, Cullen. Only what you want.”

“Let’s… go to the bar first,” Cullen said, wanting the time to sort out what he actually did want out of this. He’d never really thought about it before and… well, his emotions were in a bit of turmoil and he didn’t want to make a decision he might regret later on.

“Okay,” Bull said amiably.

They finished off their drinks then left the café. The bar proved to not be far away and they made their way inside and bought their drinks. They found a position near the stage but over to the side where Cullen was more comfortable. He set his drink on the high table they’d found and gave a start when Bull sidled in behind him and pressed up against his back.

“This okay?” Bull murmured in his ear.

Cullen licked his lips then nodded and leaned back into Bull’s warm, comfortable bulk. He felt more than heard Bull’s chuckle then there was a large warm hand resting on his hip. He was distracted then by the band coming onto the stage. They didn’t play his usual preference but they were good and he happily lost himself in the music. After a while, Bull’s hand slid around from his hip to his stomach and Cullen couldn’t really find it in him to complain. Bull was large and warm at his back and the equally large and warm hand felt nice on his stomach.

When the first set ended, Bull leaned forward. “Want another?” he asked into Cullen’s ear, gesturing towards the empty pint glass in his hand.

Cullen nodded and made a slightly discontented noise when Bull’s warm bulk disappeared from behind him. He felt his usual social awkwardness creeping back over him as he stood there on his own and he determinedly avoided the eyes of a couple of men and women who were giving him speculative looks. 

“Here you go, Cullen.”

Cullen gave a start and accepted the new pint from Bull. He had just taken a mouthful when Bull cozied up behind him again and not only slid his free hand back round to his stomach but then let it drift down until it ghosted over his crotch. He gasped and tried not to choke on his beer as Bull’s hand returned to his stomach, rubbing gently.

“Too much?” Bull murmured in his ear as the band took up their positions again.

Cullen got his breathing back under control and then, before he could overthink things, he shook his head. He could almost feel Bull’s smile then that large warm hand ghosted over his crotch again for a moment. Cullen felt his cock stir and then the band started playing and he was distracted again.

The distraction of the music didn’t last long. Bull took his response as tacit permission to start teasing. First he splayed his hand over Cullen’s stomach and pressed him back into his body so that he could feel the larger man’s half-hard cock against his arse. He then started brushing his hand over Cullen’s crotch at irregular intervals, never too much but just enough to have him half-hard as well and jittery, taking large gulps of his beer in an attempt to cover his reaction.

When the band finished their set, he set his half-empty glass down and turned around. “Let’s… let’s go.”

Bull nodded and drained the remainder of his beer before putting his glass down next to Cullen’s. They weaved their way through the crowd and out the door. The cool air was a shocking relief from the close atmosphere of the pub and it cooled the blush that had been burning on Cullen’s cheeks. They walked in silence but Cullen still felt jittery, knowing what was going to happen when they got to Bull’s place. Casual sex wasn’t really his forte but he was wound up enough now to want it.

It wasn’t until he was walking through the door of Bull’s apartment that he began to have some second thoughts. When Bull placed a hand on his back between his shoulders, he flinched and the hand disappeared immediately.

“Alright there, Commander?” Bull asked quietly. “You don’t have to do this, you know? We can just have a drink and watch a movie?”

Cullen swallowed, feeling like there was an insurmountable lump in his shoulder. “I, uh… I could do with the drink.”

“Sure,” Bull said amiably. He gave Cullen a nudge towards the living room. “Why don’t you sit down and find something on Netflix for us?”

Cullen stood where he was for a moment then he finally moved and sat down heavily on the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, searching through Netflix almost by rote. He hadn’t settled on anything when Bull sat down next to him and exchanged the remote for a bottle of beer. Cullen clutched at his beer while Bull selected something that started out with an explosion then set the remote down. The larger man then slouched back on the couch and Cullen tentatively followed suit. 

The movie played out on the TV, some mindless action movie with lots of explosions and improbably removed shirts on the part of the hero and implausibly high heels on the part of the heroine. Cullen wasn’t really followed the plot but it wasn’t really the kind of movie that took its plot seriously. He did however slowly start to relax and when he did, Bull engaged him in aimless conversation about the movie they were watching and then other ridiculous action movies they’d seen. Soon he was chuckling at Bull’s scoffing about The Rock’s merits as an action star and he let himself lean into the large man.

When Bull wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he only sighed and let himself slump against the larger man some more. The hurt from earlier in the evening had faded a little, lost in the beer, the camaraderie and Bull’s warmth and solidity.

“Cullen,” Bull said softly.

Cullen looked up at him and didn’t flinch when Bull leaned down and kissed him. The other man kissed expertly, far more so than Cullen, but instead of making Cullen feel inadequate, he coaxed him into a deeper kiss, wordlessly showing him what to do. When they finally parted, Cullen made a low noise that caused him to blush.

Bull chuckled. “No need for blushes, Commander. Not if you enjoyed it.”

“I, uh…” Cullen cleared his throat. “I did.”

He hesitated for a moment then leaned in again. Bull chuckled once more and closed the gap. This time the kisses were harder, more demanding and Cullen somehow found himself in Bull’s lap, straddling his legs, Bull’s large hands hard on his hips. He was about to… do something – protest, hesitate, he wasn’t quite sure – when one of those large hands slid round to his arse and squeezed just right. He bucked forward, grinding his now hard cock against Bull’s and whatever second or third thoughts he might have been having flew out the window as he gave a low moan.

“Like that, eh, Commander?” Bull said in a low rumble as he shifted to nip and suck on the skin of Cullen’s neck.

“Yeah,” Cullen replied, tilting his head to allow Bull better access. He could tell that there were going to be marks on his neck tomorrow but he felt too good right now to really care.

Bull chuckled. “Good. This is supposed to feel good.”

The hand Bull had on his arse was encouraging him to rock forward and Cullen did just that, letting the sensation build and build until he was gasping for air. Bull’s mouth was meandering along his collarbone and Cullen wondered if he could come just from this. He was fairly sure he could. Then the world spun alarmingly and he clutched at Bull, his eyes flying open.

“Easy there, Commander,” Bull rumbled. “Just figured we should take this somewhere a little more comfortable.”

Cullen nodded and even though he felt a little foolish, he wrapped his legs around Bull’s waist and let him carry him to the bedroom. He didn’t really pay much attention to the décor other than the bed, which was large, and when Bull lowered him onto it, remarkably soft.

“Gonna let me take care of you tonight?” Bull asked as he climbed onto the bed and loomed over him.

Cullen hesitated then nodded. He wasn’t very good at giving up control anywhere but for once he wanted to not have to think, to not have to be in charge. “Yes.”

“Good,” Bull said with an open and honest grin. He then turned his attention to stripping them both naked with a cheerful efficiency that Cullen could only admire. Once the larger man was done, he settled on his side next to Cullen, one hand resting on his stomach and rubbing soothingly. “Okay, so two things. Firstly, we only do what you want to do. You don’t like something, you tell me to stop, okay?” He waited until Cullen had nodded before continuing, “Secondly…” He reached up to tap the wrought iron bedstead. “Hands here. There’s plenty to hang on to.”

There was a look in Bull’s eye that immediately set Cullen on edge then just as quickly relaxed him. He didn’t think the man knew precisely what had happened to him with the Templars but he clearly knew _something_ had. Something that would make Cullen react very badly to being restrained. So even though he was ostensibly doing just that, Cullen knew Bull was also giving him a choice. _His_ choice, to hold on or to let go, whatever it was he needed. That was enough to make the last of Cullen’s nerves fade away and he stretched out as indolently as he was able to manage, reaching up to grab hold of part of the wrought iron filigree work.

Bull chuckled and ran the hand that was on Cullen’s stomach down to ghost over his erection, causing Cullen to moan and buck into the brief contact, chasing more. Bull smoothed his hand along one of Cullen’s thighs. “Easy there, Commander. I’ll get you there.”

And get him there, Bull did. Cullen had never been taken apart like that before and it was done with little more that Bulls’ hands and his mouth. Bull drew him to the edge again and again and again until he was begging for more, for anything, just so that he could come. His hands clutched at the bedstead tightly enough to ache but he kept them there, even when Bull prepared him so slowly and inexorably, he actually thought he might bend the metal.

But when Bull finally pushed in him, his cock huge and hot in his arse, Cullen had to let go and grab at whatever part of Bull he could reach. Bull chuckled and guided his hands to his shoulders as he continued to push in with a sort of amiable relentlessness and when he finally bottomed out, Cullen could only moan and grip at Bull’s shoulders with nerveless hands as he shook with pleasure, his cock leaking copiously onto his stomach.

Bull then began to move, a long slow pull until only the head of his cock remained inside Cullen then that inexorable push in again and every time he hit that spot inside Cullen that had him gasping out incoherent words and arching into the Bull, seeking more, more, more. But Bull never wavered other than to wrap a hand round Cullen’s cock and stroke it as leisurely as his thrusts. He kept that slow, leisurely, almost languid pace going as pleasure slowly built and coiled and curled in Cullen’s gut. And when he finally, _finally_ , tipped over the edge and came, it was like a tidal wave washing over him, sending him tumbling and then leaving him spent.

He came back to some semblance of awareness to realise that Bull was still propped up over him and that he was still hard where he was buried in Cullen’s arse. Bull’s cupped the side of his face with one hand and grinned at him. “Back with me, Commander?”

Cullen nodded and then sucked in a breath as Bull began to move again, just a little bit this time, more rolling his hips than actually thrusting. It was _almost_ too much but after a little while, Cullen felt his cock twitch and start to fill again. That seemed to be what Bull was waiting for. He shifted a bit, holding Cullen’s hips firmly in his big hands as pulled out then slammed back in. Cullen positively wailed as he reached back and grabbed at the iron bedstead. Bull waited only long enough for him to get a good grip then he continued with those punishing thrusts.

This time Cullen spiralled upwards at a headlong rush and fell over the edge before he knew it, splattering feeble amounts of come over his chest and stomach without a touch on his cock. Bull growled when that happened and gripped his hips tightly enough that he knew there would be bruises there tomorrow. The larger man thrust in again and again and then a third time before he went still and Cullen felt the warm gush inside him of Bull’s climax.

They were still for a moment then Bull gently pulled out, leaving Cullen feeling strangely empty despite the come he could feel oozing from his hole. Bull collapsed beside him and reached up to prise Cullen’s hands from the bedstead.

“There we go, Cullen,” Bull murmured, pulling Cullen closer to him as he massaged his hands to get the feeling back into them.

Cullen went willingly, feeling limp and wrung out and sleepy and so very well fucked. Bull let go of his hands and soothed along his back then drifted down to cup his arse, his large fingers seeking into the crease and rubbing over the slickness of his sore hole. He chuckled when Cullen mumbled then returned to those soothing strokes along his back.

“Sleep, Commander,” Bull murmured. “We’ll talk in the morning about what you want this to be.”

Cullen yawned and nodded and let the blackness take him. Whatever this was or wasn’t, he was sure of one thing… he would sleep with no dreams tonight and that was enough for him right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little chapter that will make sense if you paid attention to the very last sentence in Chapter 1. :D
> 
> Cullen comes back to work and is greeted with a snippy Maxwell and some revelations from Josephine and Leliana.

When Cullen returned to work on the Monday, he felt more rested and relaxed than he had in a long time. True to Bull’s word, they’d talked in the morning after they’d both woken, showered and eaten. The large man had proven once again how perceptive he was, easily picking his way through Cullen’s jumbled, confused words. He knew he was in no shape for a relationship, not with how heartsore he felt about Dorian, but he hadn’t wanted Bull to think he didn’t appreciate what he had offered. Bull had just laughed and waved away his remorse and reiterated that whatever Cullen needed, he was willing to give, even if it was just a beer and a night of trashy movies.

He subsequently spent the better part of the weekend at Bull’s place, mostly doing just that – drinking beer and watching trashy movies as they talked about all sorts of things. Bull had drawn a number of things out of Cullen that he might not ordinarily have talked about but Bull didn’t judge, just offered some very good advice and what help that he could. They’d also had sex again, which had been just as good as the first time. All in all, when Cullen had returned to his apartment on Sunday, he’d actually felt like he could face the week ahead with something akin to good humour.

It was shortly after lunch that the first niggles started to filter past his good mood and it was Maxwell’s snippy response to his question about one of the new hires that did it. He’d been caught off guard by the tart response and so he hadn’t been able to respond at first. He had caught the looks Josephine and Leliana exchanged but before he could ask any questions, Maxwell had got to his feet and given a curt apology before storming out of the room.

Cullen looked over at the two women. “What was that all about?”

Leliana and Josephine exchanged looks again. “You’re in a good mood today,” Leliana said blandly.

“What?” Cullen frowned. “What’s that got to do with Max’s attitude?”

Josephine bit her lip. “You left on Friday night with Bull.”

Cullen made a frustrated noise. “Yes. So?”

The two women exchanged glances again, volumes seemingly passing between them without a word being spoken. Then Leliana leaned forward.

“You… haven’t noticed, have you?”

“Noticed what?”

There was a long pause before Josephine said very delicately, “The way Maxwell and Dorian look at you.”

Cullen snorted. “They’re too busy mooning at each other to be looking at me.” 

He was aware he sounded bitter but he also knew there was no point trying to hide anything from either woman. He’d done that in the past and failed miserably each time. Eventually he’d stopped trying and his relationship with the women had developed into a strong friendship, albeit one where they teased him mercilessly. He’d never admit that he kind of liked that. He suspected they knew anyway.

“Well, they don’t do it when you’re looking at them,” Leliana said drolly.

“Look…” Cullen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. His good mood had just about disappeared. “Stop beating around the bush. What’s going on?”

Josephine opened her mouth, closed it again then sighed. “They were going to approach you on Friday. Ask you if you’d be interested in… joining them.”

“I don’t do one night stands,” Cullen said firmly then realised how that must sound when his departure with Bull was viewed. “That is… I mean… Bull…” He sighed and scrubbed his face with one hand.

Leliana chuckled. “Oh, I know, Cullen. Bull views sex in a far different way than most people. You needed something. He was willing to provide it. It’s about as far away from a one night stand as you can get. Max and Dorian don’t know that though. They think they’ve lost you before they could even make an offer to you.”

“An offer of what?”

“A relationship,” Josephine said with a small but warm smile. “They’re both terribly fond of you but they knew, as many of us do, that you have been struggling with some personal issues.” She held up a hand. “No, I don’t know what they are and you do not need to tell us. They were waiting and now they think they’ve waited too long.”

Cullen stared at her for a long moment then he blinked and leaned back in his chair. “Don’t tell me… Bull knows about all of this.”

Leliana chuckled. “I think he knows how they feel about you, yes.”

“Then why….?” Cullen made an exasperated noise.

“Because they were waiting. For far too long in his eyes,” Josephine said, looking amused. “I believe he’d told them to get their act together a while ago. That you’d do better with their support. I believe he may have acted on Friday to… give them a metaphorical goosing.”

“And now they’re moping, in Dorian’s case, and getting all snippy with anyone who crosses their path in Maxwell’s case,” Leliana added with a grin.

Cullen gave her a flat look. “And you want me to do something about it.”

“Well,” Leliana drawled. “You _are_ the one they’re pining after and you _have_ been pining after them.” She paused and smirked at him. “And it has been them, hasn’t it? Even if you’ve only admitted half of it to yourself.”

Cullen scrubbed his face again then left his hand where it was. “Leliana…”

“Hush,” Josephine said. He heard the scraping of chairs and a warm hand was on his shoulder. He lowered his hand and looked up into Josephine’s warm smile. “Go back to work. Think about all of this tonight. There is no point rushing yourself to a decision.”

“Tell that to everyone else,” Leliana said drolly.

“Hush,” Josephine said to her then turned back to Cullen. “Another day or two is not going to hurt either of them. You need to be sure within yourself that this is what you want.”

“I… yes, alright,” Cullen said.

Josephine gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and the two women left the room. Cullen stayed where he was for a moment then he got up and walked back to his office. He had a lot to think about and a few decisions to make.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens! Cullen goes to get some answers from Bull and comes to a decision.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Cullen said the moment the door opened. He winced but not too much. He hadn’t sounded as accusing as he’d thought he might but a hello still would have been a better option. 

Bull, however, didn’t look offended or upset. Instead he stepped back and gestured for Cullen to enter. “Come on. I have beer.”

“I don’t want a beer. I want answers,” Cullen said irritably. He walked into the apartment anyway and slumped down onto the couch as Bull headed for the kitchen. Despite his querulous comment, he accepted the beer that was offered to him anyway.

“Yeah, I knew,” Bull said as he sat down. He didn’t bother to try and prevaricate about the question.

“Then… _why_?” Cullen said. He knew he sounded confused and plaintive but he didn’t try and hide it.

Bull took a long drink from his beer then set the bottle on the coffee table. “Because they were being idiots and making you miserable. I felt you needed some happiness in your life and they needed to learn they can’t have everything their own way.”

Cullen blinked at that last bit. “What do you mean?”

Bull considered the question for a long moment. “They thought they could wait. That you’d still be there once they were ready. They didn’t think about you and what you needed.”

“I…” Cullen frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Bull gestured towards the beer Cullen was still holding and he took a drink almost automatically. Bull picked up his own beer and settled in more comfortably on the couch.

“I was pretty obvious to anyone who was looking that right from the beginning they both wanted you as well as each other,” Bull said then he chuckled at Cullen’s expression. “I said anyone who was looking. You were struggling with your own troubles so you definitely weren’t looking.”

Cullen nodded. Bull had drawn the story of those troubles out of him over the weekend and given him some advice on how to handle some of the lingering issues.

“I get the impression…” 

Cullen snorted and Bull grinned. He was so freakishly observant that his ‘impressions’ were everyone else’s facts.

“I got the impression,” Bull said patiently. “That they both have their issues with relationships so when they found their way to each other and discovered that their desires for each other _and_ for you coincided, they were so smugly pleased with themselves, they forgot what it might look like from the outside.”

“Mooning at each other,” Cullen said bitterly.

“Uhuh,” Bull replied. “Then instead of talking to you and finding out what you were ready for and how the three of you could make it work, they decided that you weren’t ready and that they would wait until you were.”

Cullen stared at him. “And how were they planning on knowing that without talking to me?”

“Exactly,” Bull said with a grin, pointing a finger at him. “ _I_ gave them a few subtle then not-so-subtle nudges since I could see how you felt about them.”

Cullen frowned. “Them?”

Bull chuckled. “Them. Think about it, Cullen.”

Cullen settled back on the couch. He’d admitted his feelings for Dorian a while back but Max… Max was his friend, nothing more. Or was he? He thought back to the first time he’d seen Max and Dorian billing and cooing at each other. The hurt feeling was still strong even now but it had been because it had been _Max_ kissing Dorian and not himself, wasn’t it?

He frowned as he considered that. Yes, he’d definitely felt a surge of jealousy when Max had kissed Dorian because he’d wanted it to be him in Max’s shoes but… he blinked and drew in a sharp breath. Later that same evening, he’d gone to the bathroom and nearly walked into the pair of them kissing in the back corridor. Dorian had backed Max up against the wall and had been doing things that had Max arching against him with his head thrown back in ecstasy. He’d been so befuddled at the time, he hadn’t really thought about his reaction but now that he actually did, he’d been as jealous of Max as he had been Dorian. He’d wanted Dorian doing that to him but… he’d also wanted to be the one who made Max look like that.

“There we go,” Bull said with a chuckle, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“I… never realised,” he said, sounding a little dazed.

“I didn’t think you’d figured it out,” Bull said amiably.

“He’s… my friend.”

Bull nodded. “He’s been your friend for a long time.”

“Yes.” Cullen took a long drink of his beer. “I just… never considered him as anything more before. It… our paths in the military took us in opposite directions and there was no point. Then I thought I burned that bridge so thoroughly, there was no hope of rebuilding it. When we met up again, I was…” He sighed. “A mess.”

“You thought you were lucky enough to have regained his friendship and you’d be greedy to hope for more,” Bull said with a raised eyebrow.

Cullen sighed. “Yes, that sounds about right.”

Bull cocked his head and took a drink of his beer. “So, what now?”

“You think I know?” Cullen gave a short bark of laughter. “I think I’m more confused now than I was before.”

Bull gave him a grin that could only be described as gleefully wicked. “We could always play the happy couple in front of them.”

“What would that achieve?” Cullen asked with a frown.

“Make them come forward and stake a claim,” Bull replied, still grinning.

Cullen gave him a sceptical look. “Or make them back off entirely.”

“Cullen, you’re talking about me here,” Bull said, affecting a wounded look that was not at all serious. “Trust me. They’ll come forward and stake a claim.”

“How?”

“They’ll think you’re taking the relationship much more seriously than I am,” Bull said with a grin. “They’ll come charging forward like the knights in shining armour we _both_ know they are because they don’t want you getting hurt and they’ll be forced to confess their feelings for you.”

Bull looked so proud of himself that Cullen couldn’t help but laugh. Then he shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I’m not a very good actor.”

“You don’t have to be,” Bull said. “Just act like you’re in a relationship with me and I’ll do all the heavy lifting. All you have to do is react like you would normally.”

Cullen considered it then shook his head. “I don’t think so, Bull. I’m not really comfortable with that sort of manipulation.”

He was surprised when Bull grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to almost knock him over.

“You’re a good man, Commander,” the big man said. “So what are you going to do?”

Cullen thought about that for a moment then he gave a huff of laughter and shook his head. “What I usually do. Tackle things head on. I’ll go and talk to them.”

“Good plan,” Bull said approvingly. “Not tonight though. They were idiots. Let ‘em suffer for a day or two.” He pointed to a pile of DVDs. “Besides I have _all_ the Fast and Furious movies.”

Cullen started laughing and slouched back on the couch. “Fair enough. I could do with some mindless entertainment.”

“ _Yeah_!” Bull said, punching the air, and he got up to put on the first movie.


End file.
